Ancient Greece

Nothing is more ancient than ancient Greece except maybe ancient Egypt. It is said that one cannot go anywhere in Greece without running into some ancient ruins. They are all over Athens, some remnants from ancient Greece, some from ancient Roman, some from the Byzantine empire. All over Athens, there are little old Byzantine churches, the newer buildings just build around them or over them, while still leaving them intact. We stayed in the Monastariki area which happened to be the Byzantine area of Athens and little old Byzantine churches abound. I love the fact that they are always opened and local Greeks just pop in anytime, light a candle and say a prayer. The pictures show Mystra, the last bastion of the Byzantine empire. After the fall of Constantinople, the Greek Christians left and began to live out on the Peloponnese which is rocky and inhospitable, they hope to live an unmolested life, away from marauding invaders. Here the dying Byzantine empire built their last churches and community till they too were extinguished. It is conjectured that the last fresco painters left Constantinople for other places, Mystra on the Peloponnese peninsula being one of them. Here in these churches, we can still see what remained of their work.
Spring is the best time to visit the Peloponnese, it is the time of wild flowers. One can ask, 'where do you go to see wild flowers in the Peloponnese?' Anywhere and everywhere. It is so beautiful. They are everywhere and most of these wild flowers are only found in the peloponnese. The end of March into early April is the best time. The place is hilly, rocky and quite inhospitable. There are some beaches but otherwise it is just a sheer drop into the the sea. The sea is rough and the waves just pound away at the cliffs and the wind is strong enough to blow anyone off their footing in some places. Right in the middle of the peninsula is the town of Sparta. It is no wonder why they are called Spartans or maybe because of their way of life, we called any life that resembled it, a spartan life. Seeing the place, knowing the history gives new appreciation to the word, 'spartan'. We spent 5 days visiting various places in the Peloponnese and another 2 days in Athens which is not quite enough. But in life we take what we can get. That was an introductory visit to Greece. I do intend to return and visit central Greece.